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Dragonmen
Dragonmen are a draconic race that is descended from dragons that wished to be perfect mortals during the reign of the Moroitos Empire. Though their wish was granted, it caused much tension between the dragons and just-formed Dragonmen, which still exists today. Appearance Dragonmen resemble humanoid dragons. They’re covered in scaly hide, but they don’t have tails. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 6 1/2 feet in height and weighing 300 pounds or more -- females being of basically the same height and weight as males. Their hands and feet are strong, talon-like claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand. A dragonman’s head features a blunt snout, a strong brow, and distinctive frills at the cheek and ear. Behind the brow, a crest of hornlike scales of various lengths resembles thick, ropy hair. Their eyes are shades of red, gold, or green. A typical dragonman’s scales can be almost any color, though the hue range depends on which type of dragonman. Most dragonmen have very fine scales over most of their body, giving their skin a leathery texture, with regions of larger scales on the forearms, lower legs and feet, shoulders,and thighs. In rare cases, some dragonmen have vestigial wings when they are born. This is an offshoot of their connection to the dragons. Though these wings aren't built to fly, dragonmen have been known to use them to slow down falls form great heights or even glide for a minute or so if the dragonman can get some good lift and a strong wind current. Young dragonmen grow faster than human children do. They walk hours after hatching, reach the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3 and reach adulthood by 15. They live about as long as humans do. Dragonmen can and have bred with other humanoid races before, mostly the Elvish and the Humans. As a result, hybrids have been born. These hybrids almost always look more similar to the Dragonman's consort, looking nothing like a Dragonman. However; upon closer inspection one can see the leathery skin, sharper teeth, and dragon-like eyes that mark them as a hybrid. Culture The dragonmen drive for honor carries on into the culture of the race. Amongst dragonmen the most horrible crime is oath-breaking and honesty is expected whenever a deal is struck. Commitment to a word is expected to be carried out to the letter and all parties in a transaction are held accountable and responsible for failings. Ultimately, those who fail to meet their word are expected to accept the consequences and, in fact, most dragonmen do. So widespread is this value of honor and honesty that it is commonly believed that dragonborn never break their word. The dragonborn culture has a strong and abiding hatred of dragons, perpetuated by terrifying tales of draconic cruelty and retellings of the dragonmen struggle for freedom from shadowy overlords. Though the dragons of Erudite had little to do with this past (though dragons did have contempt for the dragonmen back then and eventually began hating them as traitors to the dragon race) that haunts the race, the dragonmen are not particularly forgiving in this regard and individuals who take up dragon-hunting for whatever reasons are honored as heroes amongst most of the dragonmen. Many dragonmenn also take up the life of a mercenary. Relations Other than their well-known hatred of dragons, dragonborn have few definitive relationships with other races. The dragonborn have a known tolerance for races of all kinds, extending their courtesy even to races generally disliked such as demons or orcs. The strongest friendships the dragonborn have forged have been with the humans, even though both races are traditional enemies due to human mistrust of most draconic beings. Language Though Dragonmen can learn a variety of languages, they commonly speak their own language Known Kingdoms and Groups The dragonmen have never had any kingdom to speak of in the past, due to being mistrusted by any other nation due to their draconic heritage and any attempt of becoming a nation being sabotaged by other races. Nowadays the dragonmen can be found anywhere, not to mention that the Ascensores Empire is made up of almost all dragonmen. Known Dragonmen (Anyone can add to this list) Dragonmen Societies Dragonmen family units and clans can be found across Eidyn. As a result, a variety of different Dragonman cultures exist. They are generally grouped into five categories based on their geographical region. *Mountain Dragonmen: Largely found in the mountains to the north, these Dragonmen have tamed Drakes in order to travel long distances across their rugged homeland. They have developed a cultural bond with their mounts which became the basis of the Dragonman/Dragon duo at the heart of Ascensorean culture. Like most other Dragonman cultures, they place great value on family bonds and honour. *Eastern Dragonmen: Also (inaccurately) known as Forest Dragonmen. These Dragonmen colonized the eastern coast and established a series of city-states and small kingdoms, most of which have since collapsed or fallen under the rule of more cosmopolitan nations, such as Atalante. Eastern Dragonmen have no nation of their own and are usually found within other nations. Some have emigrated to Ascensores, though many families have strong ties to the nation they call home and have remained in the east. *Desert Dragonmen: Found in the deserts of Leir, these Dragonmen have banded together in nomadic clans. They have adapted a herding lifestyle, maintaining large herds of camels and sometimes drakes. They are known to be far more xenophobic than other Dragonmen and often keep to themselves, which has helped to preserve their culture. *Central Dragonmen: Once inhabitants of the cold tundra of Shuang, they were forced out by the Xeng Empire and have since settled in the wilderness to the north. Many of them established settlements on the southern tip of the Inner Sea, and in recent years, many, drawn by the promise of a new life in Ascensores, have crossed the lake and ventured to the Empire. Category:Races Category:Dragonmen